Not yo’ grandma’s green bean casserole… Gluten Free!

Let’s dive right in and delight the taste buds. Green bean casserole; Gluten-free, easy to make and delicious. May seem like a random vintage recipe, but the tastes were oh so 2013!

I have mentioned in previous posts I am a Food Network junkie. Either on a television or Hulu, the plethora of food shows are my constant white noise of education. One in particular, The Next Food Network Star, showcased green bean casserole this past week. I believe the chef who made the dish, Damaris, dubbed this “So good you’d want to punch someone in the face.” Thankfully, I was cooking alone when I took my first bite. My husband would have been admitted to the ER it was that good.

All jokes aside, I did my research with this creation. Key to any great casserole is the “mother sauce.” Bechamel and bernaise are two of my favorites. Mushrooms and cream= winning combination. Add in green beans and crunchy baked onions to complete this incredible dish.

While searching for a great casserole recipe, I turned to none other than Alton Brown, my personal Food Genius; no pun intended! His recipe, named fittingly, “Best ever green bean casserole,” seemed easy enough to follow and create an IWTFD gluten-free twist.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Isn’t that what you want to do when it is 97 degrees out? Thought so!

Combine onion, flour and spices in a medium size bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, spread evenly on a baking dish lined with foil/ parchment. (Parchment might burn at such a high temp so be aware and careful!)

Bake for 20 minutes, toss with tongs and place back into oven for another 10-15 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, boil water in a medium pot to cook the green beans.

Once water is boiling, add in green beans to quickly cook; 5 minutes max.!

Immediately drain the beans and plunge into a bowl with cold ice water. This is called… BLANCHING. This halts the cooking process so the beans will be soft, not mushy once baked in the casserole.

Now onto the mushroom cream sauce.

Place the butter into a medium sauce pan, melt over a low flame.

Add mushrooms, stir to coat in the butter. (Smell that buttery goodness!)

Cook for 5-7 minutes. Add in flour, stir to combine.

Add in the half-and-half. Stir, and watch magic happen as the mixture begins to thicken naturally.